cadet blogs

Hello to my diligent blog followers and also the people who randomly come across this page!

I am on my way (via coach bus) to D.C. for a Cyber Security Leadership conference. We just stopped in New Jersey and are now continuing on our journey. It is crazy that: 1. it is already November and 2. that it is almost seventy degrees. The weather has been beautiful and I've been trying to be outside as much as possible. I was so excited to take my coach’s dog on a run this week. I have also been going to yoga a lot thanks to Yoga Club, a club that enables cadets to leave school any day of the week during sports period to go to off-base yoga class. I practice in Mystic and love going! I did a yoga challenge for the month of October and posted a picture each day on Facebook of the designated pose. At first, I thought that my friends would be annoyed but when October ended, everyone was asking me about November! I am doing a movement challenge but I ran out of data...

Anyway! School is going well. Believe it or not, there are only three weeks left in the semester, none of which are full. In my major (Marine and Environmental Sciences), I don't really have one big capstone project but rather a smaller one for each class. For example, I have a project due in Coastal Oceanography, Polar Oceanography, and a research paper due in National Security Policy. It is a lot to juggle.

I am excited about the opportunities I could potential be taking this year. I am applying to participate in the model Arctic Council simulation held in Fairbanks, Alaska! It's during spring break and I will be preparing for the simulation next semester. I think that I am really finding an interest in the Arctic and I can see myself pursuing studies in that region after my bachelors.

Well, we are watching a movie and my phone might die but I just wanted to let you know about my crazy cadet life!

The first round of tests starts this week and that’s always interesting. I should be fine if I just plan out my time and actually study. It is easy to get sidetracked with other important things while at the Academy. As an MES major in my 3/c year, I have a lot of classes and labs, but staying organized makes all the work doable. It also helps that the material is interesting and fun (for example, our last marine biology lab was a trip to a salt marsh to study the ecosystem).

I am continuing on in my corrosion research. It is a bit slow moving right now because we are trying to simultaneously do tests and set up corrosion cells, while still waiting on supplies. Although it is fairly difficult to get everything ready to run the tests, when I go to work on the project it is relaxing because there are no requirements. With the freedom to do as much or little as possible, the lab is one of the few places that I can actually be in control and do things the way I want. It is refreshing to have that break during the week.

Rugby has also started up! The first game was last Sunday and the A side played really well and beat the University of Vermont, who were ranked 7th in the nation last year. I am on B side but I still got to play. The game went really well and I had a lot of fun. I am looking forward to more games and optimistic that the team will make it all the way to nationals.